Fall Out Boy, “So Much (For) Stardust.”

So Much (For) Stardust, the eighth album from Fall Out Boy, is less of a return to a band’s original sound and more of an infusion of the spirit of those early years into the band you see today.

The band’s prior trio of the albums was marked with massive ramp-ups to stadium-sized anthems built for pyrotechnics and singalongs. This latest set doesn’t lose that flair for the dramatic, but it achieves it in a way that’s simplified and feels more like musicians playing them live without extra studio wizardry.

From the first piano notes of opener “Love From the Other Side,” it’s clear Fall Out Boy knew the assignment. The song fuses the band’s memorable and anthemic qualities with an urgency and raw emo heaviness.

“What would you trade the pain for?” vocalist Patrick Stump asks.

It’s a track that wouldn’t sound entirely out of the place on Folie à Deux. While “Heartbreak Feels So Good” opens with a low, bassy synth, the band quickly kicks in, fusing some Save Rock and Roll bombast with an earnestness akin to From Under the Cork Tree.

The funky opening notes from bassist Pete Wentz on “Hold Me Like a Grudge” make way for an infectious groove with Stump spitting a quick cadence of lyrics with a bluesy melody. Once the chorus kicks in, all the pop-punk energy takes over. The song is memorable and will get stuck in your head with its bass stomps and handclaps that should ignite concert crowds.

“Fake Out” starts with a subdued guitar line and evolving drumbeat. Stump breaks out his signature falsetto on the chorus. For as much as Fall Out Boy is known for its rock anthems, the band does ballads incredibly well, and “Heaven, Iowa” may rank as one of its best. Stump’s vocal opens things over an atmospheric synth.

“Tell me when the party ends/ Will you still love who I am?” he asks before exploding into the chorus. Stump’s vocals soar and the song reaches full-on power ballad with a distorted guitar line and the rest of the band joining the fray on the second chorus. It’s a classic addition to the band’s songbook.

“So Good Right Now” takes things in an entirely different direction. It’s a fun, upbeat, punky romp that has a much more carefree feeling. The song has a simple message of but it’s a welcome simplicity and a genuine toe-tapper. Then there’s a spoken-word cameo by actor Ethan Hawke on “The Pink Seashell,” which gives way to rock and roll stomper “I Am My Own Muse.” The fiery chorus is led by Andy Hurley’s drumming and the track offers high drama with the urgency of Save Rock and Roll. It’s also one of the heaviest tracks Fall Out Boy has ever released.

The punk rock shuffle of “Flu Game” returns the album to a straightforward emo sound; somewhere more in the realm of Infinity on High. One more spoken-word interlude of “Baby Annihilation” leads into the mid-tempo pop-punk balladry of “The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years),” which will excite fans of the band’s earliest work. Stump turns in another electric vocal performance here.

The grooves of “What a Time to Be Alive” fuse emo with ’80s pop and funk, bringing together guitars, synths and strings. The band keeps the explorative spirit on the suspenseful title track, which concludes the album. Fall Out Boy knows how to make an exit, mixing rock, pop and even a little hip-hop on this beat-forward, mid-tempo cut.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.